World Turtle Day is an annual observance held every May 23rd. It began in 2000 and is sponsored by

American Tortoise Rescue American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) is an animal rescue organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, adoption and protection of all tortoise and turtle species, and the protection of their environments. Located in Malibu, California, ATR is a Un ...

. The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s and

tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

s and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. A study on the effects of biodiversity awareness days listed World Turtle Day as an example of how they increase the internet search traffic on the protected species. World Turtle Day is promoted by dressing up as turtles, wearing green summer dresses, saving turtles caught on highways, research activities, and adopting turtles or tortoises from rehabilitation centers. American Tortoise Rescue provides Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projects, to encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms. The term "World Turtle Day" is

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

ed by Susan Tellem of Malibu, California.

References

External links

*{{official, https://www.worldturtleday.org/
American Tortoise Rescue
May observances Turtles in popular culture Turtle conservation Recurring events established in 1990